§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans she has to make provision, in the entire education service from nursery to higher education, for children identified as being affected by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
§ Mr. ForthThe responsibility for making provision for school children with special educational needs, including, 167W those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, rests with schools and local education authorities. The code of practice on the identification and assessment of special educational needs, issued by the Secretary of State under the Education Act 1993, gives guidance to schools and LEAs on their responsibilities towards all pupils with special educational needs of all kinds. District health authorities and NHS trusts must inform the parents and the appropriate LEA when they form the opinion that a child under the age of five may have special educational needs.
The Further Education Funding Council and LEAs are statutorily required to take account of the needs of students in further education with all kinds of learning difficulties. In higher education, the Secretary of State's initial letter of guidance to the Higher Education Funding Council for England asked it to consider how it could best meet the needs of students with learning difficulties. Universities are able to make the provision they consider appropriate for students with learning difficulties.